Now is the Time for University Administrators to Think about Mats

While we still have a bit of summer left, most university administrators are hard at it, getting ready for the fall season to begin.

One of the most important things they need to address, because it can impact the health and safety of students and staff, as well as help reduce maintenance costs significantly, is to ensure high-performance floor mats are installed at all building entries on the campus.

High-performance mats are far more effective at capturing and holding moisture and soils then rental mats. In fact, mats are so important that for any school seeking LEED certification, they are now a requirement.

However, here are some specific reasons we need these mats now before the fall season begins:

· Ice melt is used extensively on some campuses in the winter. This salt is designed to help melt ice, improving walker safety, but once it gets on a hard surface floor, it can eat away at the floor finish and, because it collects soil, mar carpet.

· Tar and asphalt tend to break down during the winter months. Ice melts can even speed up the process. Tar and asphalt can attach to shoe bottoms and damage floor coverings.

· Winter rains can cause a significant amount of soil to collect on walkways. As these soils are walked into the university facility, custodial workers must be continually patrolling these areas, mopping floors to remove soil and moisture and vacuuming carpets. This takes time, time away from other custodial duties that need attention.

The best way to address these issues is for university administers to ensure each building entry has at least 15 feet of matting made up of three types of mats: scrapers, scraper/wipers, and wiper mats.

View these three types of floor mats as part of a system, all working together, each designed to do its part in keeping soil and moisture outside during the winter months and throughout the year.

However, mats play many roles inside the facility as well. Installed in hallways, they can help keep the floor clean, reducing maintenance needs. They should also be considered at the tops and bottoms of stairways to capture and trap soils that may be on stairs. And one more place - a new location - that is a sign of the times.

Many people like to stand while they study or when they work. Make sure antifatigue floor mats are installed for them to stand on. This prevents fatigue, improves blood flow, reduces or eliminates any pain in lower limbs, all of which can improve student performance and worker morale.

For more information on floor mats just for colleges and universities, contact a Crown Matting Specialist.